Listen to the sky
For who knows better
That we need both the dark and the light
To see clearly

She was my shelter;

But she was also the storm

Here’s to taking up space
To not shrinking for the benefit of others
For speaking your mind even when your voice shakes
To starting over courageously with each sunrise
To holding hands with your shadows,
And letting them go

Here’s to allowing yourself to make mistakes
and allowing yourself to be great 🌻

Here’s to you
Here’s to you
To you

“You are infinite”
I whisper to the flower petals
They get lonely, too.

Dear 2021,

Please be gentle with my heart
Show me how to love bigger and often
Teach me how to open my chest to the sun and let it dance within my ribcage
Let me run wild
In solitude and in company
Let me dream of wildflowers, ones that grow through the cracks
I want to be like them, courageous and triumphant

Dear 2021,
Show me the road back to myself
Fall in love with the journey
Fall in love with me
Wrap me up in your arms, and whisper to me
You are whole, you are worthy, you are wildflowers you are
Breathtaking.
Dearest 2021, I am ready
To grow another year wiser.
“Fingertips trembling, though they may be.”

When your bones are tired
And your heart is weary
Eyelids heavy

Do you pause to remember what the grass feels like between your toes?
To remind yourself of the summers when you had hours to spend dancing in the sun
Observing an ants journey across the sidewalk
You would measure the time passing by watching the clouds
The shapes morphing slow enough you couldn’t see, but you’d blink and then they’d be different
Blink and it’s all different

Summer turns into fall
I blinked and you became a stranger
Your eyes are familiar but your insides are different like the weather

The flowers come and go
I managed to bring some of them inside before the winter
Gathered them up with the memories of you from when we were young and careless
When we cared more
About giving than not being hurt

This year taught me

You're more resilient than you think
that there is comfort and joy in solitude

hugs are like honey
pure
simple
valuable

I learned you can find happiness where you least expect it

That the only way out is through

there are more outreached, helping hands than you think

how grand it is
to simply be
toes dipped in the river
sunset kissing your forehead
trusting it will rise again
Trusting this is not the end